Posts Tagged ‘train travel’
Traveling on The Ghan: Australia’s Transcontinental Railway
Last fall I spent a couple of months in Australia, and while I have had great intentions of sharing some photos from that trip, this has yet to happen. In the meantime though, I am excited about a piece I wrote for Roads & Kingdoms about taking The Ghan, a train that goes all the ay from Darwin in the north to Adelaide in the south, crossing through Australia’s Red Centre.
The Ghan is anything but fast. With an average speed of about 53 miles per hour, this is the definition of slow travel, but the train’s snail’s pace is perfect for taking in the desolate, unforgettable landscape outside the window: dusty red ground and dry desert foliage well adapted to the arid environment. We pass a pile of old timber, what looks to be a former cattle loading area. The pieces of wood are dark with age, left to bake under the Australian sun.
Read the whole article here. And check out some of my photos from the trip below.
Friday Photo: Stop… And Take the Train
My winter adventures kick off today with a train ride on the Amtrak. So I figured it was only fitting to make today’s Friday Photo train related. Taken at the Portland station, this small sign made me stop take a second look down the tracks. Hopefully it’s not the only thing helping to guide the trains as they make their way into the station…
View From the Train
Nothing like a gorgeous train ride to kick off a long Thanksgiving weekend. The weather in Portland was crisp and clear, with Mount Hood outlined by the bright blue sky and yellow trees on the horizon.
I love taking the train because it allows the time to decompress and prep for vacation; like a buffer zone between everyday life and relax time. A lunch of goat cheese, salami and satsumas along with a thermos of cider makes that trip even more perfect.
All Kinds of Train Travel
In planning to go home for Thanksgiving I’m having to think about which Amtrak train will have the least chance of delay as well as the least amount of passengers… good luck. I would rather be planning a trip on the Glacier Express, the Swiss train that traverses the Swiss Alps. Read more about it in my article over at Been Seen.